Telephone timer and switch.



A. A. WELLS.

TELEPHONE TIMER AND SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1917.

Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1..

8 INVENTOR WIT/I588 j Alder! AMM- 6 Mg ATTORNEYS A. A. WELLS.

TELEPHONE TIMER AND SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 1917.

1,270,080. Patented June 18, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- mmmum INVENTOR Aidan! ,4. l VeJ/r A ITO/M578 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. WELLS, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

TELEPHONE TIMER AND SWITCH.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT A. WELLS, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne, and State of Michigan,have invented a new and Improved Telephone Timer and Switch, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention has for its object to provide a telephone timer and switchwhich will limit the-use of a telephone by a subscriber. The timer willnot only operate the switch to cut out the transmitter and receiverafter a predetermined period of use, but it may also be adjusted toprevent the subscriber from again making use of the telephone for apredetermined period, thereby permitting the other subscribers on aparty line to make use of the telephone. The invention also assists ineliminating unnecessary conversations, thereby relieving congestion inthe telephone system, whether or not party lines are used, which permitsthe telephone company to give better service to 'all its subscribers. 1

Additional objects of the invention will appear in the followingspecification, in which the preferred form of the invention isdisclosed.

In the drawings similar reference characters denote similar parts in allthe views, in which Figure 1 is a view showing in elevation myinvention, parts being shown in section to illustrate the construction;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, but showing theposition of the parts when the telephone receiver has been removed andthe telephone receiver hook has been raised by the resilient meansprovided;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the valves on the bellows;and

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the circuits.

By referring to the drawings, it will be seen that a telephone receiverhook 5 is pivoted at (3 to a bracket 7, the telephonereceiver hook 5having arms 8 and 9. A spring 10 connects the bracket 7 with the arm 9on the telephone receiver hook 5, for raisingthe telephone receiver hook5, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings when the telephone receiveris removed from the telephone receiver hook. A timing member 11 ispivoted at 12, a bellows 13 being secured at its end 14 to the timingmember 11, the

Serial No. 166,290.

other end 15 of the bellows 13 being secured to a casing 16. The timingmember 11 has an opening 17 in which the hooked end 18 of a rod 19 isdisposed, this rod 19 being articulated to the arm 9 of the telephonereceiver hook 5 at 20. A hook 18 on the hooked end 18 of the rod 19engages a flange 21 on the timing member 11 so that when the spring 10moves the telephone receiver hook 5 with its arm 9 to the positionindicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings when the telephone receiver isremoved from the telephone receiver hook, the rod 19 will move thetiming member 11 to the position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings.When the timing member 11 is moved to the said position a flange 22 willengage the bottom of the rod 19 to move the rod 19 so that its hook 18*will be disengaged from the flange 21, after which the rod 19 will besupported by a leaf spring 23 which is also secured to the tilnin member11. This spring 23, while suihciently strong to support the rod 19 whenthe timing member 11 is in the position indicated in Fig. 2 of thedrawings,.is not strong enough to force the rod 19 upwardly so that itshook 18 is disenga ed from the flange 21. Nevertheless, when t e timingmember'll returns to normal position the spring 23 permits the rod 19 tomove to a position where its hook 18 will reengage the flange 21. Withthe movement of the timing member 11 to the left as indicated in Fig. 2of the drawings, the arm 8 on the telephone receiver hook 5 is moved tothe right and with the last portion of the movement of the timing memberto the left, the arm 8 engages a contact 24 of a switch 25 to press thesaid contact 24 of the said switch into engagement with the switchcontact 26. WVhen the switch 25 is closed by the engagement of thecontact 24 with the contact 26 by means of the arm 8 in the mannerdescribed, the hook 18* on the hooked end 18 of the rod 19 is disengagedfrom the flange 21 so that the timin member 11 cannot be held in theposition in icated in Fig. 2 of the drawings by means of the rod 19 withits hook 18. While this is true, the movement of the timing member 11 toits normal position indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings is retarded by ameans which will shortly be described.

In addition to the switch 25 there is a switch 27 mounted on the timingmember 11 and having contacts 28 and 29, the contact 28 being resilientand engaging the contact 29 to close the switch 27 when the timingmember 11 is in the position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, thisswitch 27, however, being opened when the timing mem- -ber 11 is in theposition indicated in Fig. 1

of the drawings, inasmuch as an adjusting screw or member 30 engages thecontact 28 and prevents its movement to the right with the contact 29.The screw 30 is adjustable on a bracket 31 in a manner readilyunderstood.

By referring to Fig. 4: of the drawings, it will be seen that atransmitter 32 and a re ceiver 33 are illustrated, the main circuitwires being shown at 3a and 35, the circuit wire at 34: leading to thetiming member 11 and the contact 29, the wire 36 leading from thecontact 28 to the transmitter 32, and the wire 33 leading from thetransmitter 32 to the contact'26. The contact 24: is connected with thetelephone receiver coils 39 by a wire 40. Two wires 35 and 35 lead onefrom each of the telephone receiver coils 39, one to the main circuitwire 35 at one side of the bells 35, the other to the wire 35 leadingfrom the bells 35 to the condenser 35 the condenser 35 being connectedby a wire 35 with the main circuit wire 3%.

As has been stated, the movement of the timing member 11 from theposition indicated in Fig. 2 to the position indicated in Fig. & of thedrawings, is retarded. To accomplish this result, I provide the member11 at the bellows 13 with a valve ll which seats on a valve seat 12 andis held on this seat 42 by means of a spring 43, a screw plunger 4Ameshing in a thread as in a valve nipple as, by which means the pressureagainst the valve 41 may be regulated, and the flow of air through thevalve seat 4E2 may be retarded as desired to retard the movement of thetiming member 11 back to itsnormal position. Air passes from the nipplethrough a vent 47.

When the timing member 11 is moved to the left air is permitted to fiowinto the bellows 13 through a valve seat 48 which is normally heldclosed by means of a valve 49 held against this seat 48 by a leaf spring50. A wire or cord 51 is connected with the arm 8 of the telephonereceiver hook 5 by means of a spring 52, this wire or cord 51 beingsecured to the end of a screw 53 meshing in a threaded orifice 54 in aflange 55 secured to the timing member 11 and extending above. thetiming members pivot 12. This means is provided for moving the timingmember 11 back to normal position. The time required for the timingmember 11 to move from the position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawingsto its normal position indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings is regulatedby means of the adjustment of the rew plunger 44 and the screw 53, itbeing understood that after the circuit has been closed through thetransmitter by the clos ing of the switches 25 and 27 it is possible tomake use of the telephone until the switch 27 is opened by means of thescrew 30, which may be adjusted to open the switch 27 at a predeterminedtime. It will also be understood that after the switch 27 has beenopened it is impossible to make use of the telephone until the timingmember 11 reaches normal position and the hook 18 on the rod 19 engagesthe flange 21 to permit the telephone receiver hook 5, through its arm 9and the rod 19, to move the timing member 11 to the position indicatedin Fig. 2 of the drawings which has been described. A bracket 56 isprovided to stop the timing member 11 when it reaches normal position.

Inasmuch as the switch 25 is not closed until the hook 18 of the rod 19is disengaged from the flange 21 and the telephone receiver hook 5 is inthe position indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the subscriber isprevented from holding the telephone receiver hook 5 half way up andmaking use of the telephone an unlimited length of time.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predeteri minedpoint relatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, asecond switch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook,means by which the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the firstmember away from the second member, means for moving the first memher inthe direction of the second member, and means for retarding the movementof the first member in the last mentioned clirection.

2. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pointrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver book, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, a hookarticulated to the telephone receiver hook normally engaging the firstmember for moving the first member away from the second member when thetelephone receiver hook is raised, means on the first member for raisingthe second mentioned hook out of engagement therewith with the saidmovement of the first member, means for moving the first 7 member in thedirection of the second member, and means for retarding the movement ofthe first member in the last mentioned direction.

3. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pointrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the tele phone receiver hook, means bywhich the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first memberaway from the second member, resilient means connecting the telephonereceiver hook with the first member for moving the first member in thedirection of the second member, and means for retarding the movement ofthe first member in the last mentioned direction.

4. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pcintrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, means bywhich the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first memberaway from the second member, means releasing the said means from thefirst member, means for moving the first member in the direction of thesecond member, and means for retarding the movement of the first memberin the last mentioned direction.

5. In. a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember, a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember for operating the switch when the first member reaches apredetermined point relatively to the second member, a telephonereceiver hook, a second switch in the circuit operable by the telephonereceiver hook, means by which the telephone receiver hook is adapted tomove the first member away from the second member, means on the firstmember for releasing the said means "from the first member, resilientmeans for supporting the first means, means for moving the first memberin the direction of the second member, means for retarding the movementof the first member in the last mentioned direction.

6. In. a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember, a switch. in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember for operating the switch when the first member reaches apredetermined point relatively to the second member, a telephonereceiver hook, at second switch in the circuit operable by the telephonereceiver hook, means by which the telephone receiver hook is adapted tomove the first member away from the second member, means for moving thefirst member in the direction of the second member, a bellows having anend secured to the first member, and valved means for permitting theentrance of air into the bellows and for rctar-ding the escape of airtherefrom.

7. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pointrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, a hookarticulated to the telephone receiver hook and normally engaging thefirst member for moving the first member away from the second memberwhen the telephone receiver hook is raised, a flange on the first memberfor engaging and raising the second mentioned hook out of engagementwith the first member, a spring on the first member for supporting thesecond mentioned book when the first member is in abnormal position,means for moving the first member in the direction of the second member,and means for retarding the movement of the first member in the lastmentioned direction.

8. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pointrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, means bywhich the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first memberaway from the second member, means for disengaging the first means fromthe first member when the second switch is operated, means for movingthe first member in the direction of the second member, and means forretarding the movement of the first member in the last mentioneddirection,

9. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mounted member,a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a second member foroperating the switch when the first member reaches a predetermined pointrelatively to the second member, a telephone receiver hook, a secondswitch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, means bywhich the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first memberaway from the second member, means for disengaging the first means fromthe first member when the second switch is operated, means for movingthe first member in the direction of the second member, and valved meansfor retarding the movement of the first member in the last mentioneddirection.

10. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember, a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember for operating the switch when the first member reaches apredetermined point relatively to the second member, a telephonereceiver hook, a second switch in the circuit, operable by the telephonereceiver hook, means by which the telephone receiver hook is adapted tomove the first member away from the second member, means for moving thefirst member in the direction of the second member, and valved means forretarding the movement of the first member in the last mentioneddirection.

11. In a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, acircuit, transmitting means, a normally open switch in the circuit,means by which an upward movement of the telephone receiver hook on theremoval of the telephone receiver is adapted to close the switch, andautomatic means for opening the switch after it has been closed for apredetermined time.

12. In a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, acircuit, a trans mitting means in the circuit, a switch in the circuit,a second switch in the circuit, means by which a movement of thetelephone re ceiver hook is adapted to close both switches, automaticmeans operable by the telephone receiver hook for opening the firstswitch after it has been closed a predetermined time which is actuatedwhen the second switch is closed.

13. In a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, anormally open circuit, a transmitting means in the circuit, means forclosing the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, andautomatic means for opening the circuit after it has been closed apredetermined time.

14. In a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, an opencircuit, a transmitting means in the circuit, means for closing thecircuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, automatic means foropening the circuit after it has been closed a predetermined time, andmeans to prevent the second means from delaying the action of theautomatic means after the circuit has been closed.

15. In a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, acircuit, transmitting means and a switch in the circuit, means by whicha movement of the telephone receiver hook is adapted to close theswitch, and automatic means adapted to be actuated by the telephonereceiver hook for opening the switch after it has been closed for a predetermined time and preventing the closing of the switch a second timefor a predetermined interval ai ter'it has been once closed.

16. in a telephone timer and switch, a

telephone receiver hook, a circuit, a transmitting means in the circuit,a switch in the circuit, a second switch in the circuit, means by whicha movement of the telephone receiver hook is adapted to close bothswitches, automatic means operable by the telephone receiver hook foropening the first switch after it has been closed a predetermined timewhich is actuated when the second switch is closed, and means to preventthe second means from closing one of the switches a second time for apredetermined interval after it has been once closed.

17. in a telephone timer and switch, a telephone receiver hook, acircuit, a transmitting means in the circuit, a switch in the circuit, asecond switch in the circuit, means by which a movement of the telephonereceiver hook in one direction is adapted to close both switches,automatic means operable by the telephone receiver hook for opening thefirst switch after it has been closed a predetermined time which isactuated when the second switch. is closed.

18. in a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember, a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember free from the switch and from the first member for operating theswitch when the first member reaches a predetermined point relatively tothe second member, a. telephone receiver book, a second switch in thecircuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, means by which thetelephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first member away fromthe second member, means for moving the first member in the direction ofthe second member, and means for retarding the movement of the firstmember in the last mentioned direction.

19. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a movably mountedmember, a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember free from the switch and from the first member for operating theswitch when the first member reaches a predetermined point relatively tothe second member, a telephone receiver hook, a second switch in thecircuit operable by the telephone receiver hook, means by which thetelephone receiver hook is adapted to move the first member away fromthe second member, means for moving the first member in the direction ofthe second member, a bellows having an end secured to the first member,and valved means for permitting the entrace of air into the bellows andretarding the escape of air therefrom.

20. In a telephone timer and switch, a circuit, a. movably mountedmember, a switch in the circuit and mounted on the member, a secondmember for operating the switch when the first member reaches apredetermined point relatively to the second member,a telephone receiverbook free to i move independently of the first member, a

second switch in the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook,means by Which the telephone receiver hook is adapted to move the firstmember aWay' from the second member, means for moving the first memberin the direction of the second mem her, and valved means for retardingthe movement of the first member in the last 10 mentioned direction.

21. In a telephone timer and switch, a] telephone receiver hook, anormally open circuit, a transmitting means in the circuit, means forclosing the circuit operable by the telephone receiver hook on theremoval of the telephone receiver therefrom, and automatic means foropening the circuit after it has been closed a predetermined time.

ALBERT A. WELLS.

Goplu of this patent my be obtained for five cent: each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent.

. Wuhington, I). 0."

